FOR TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION, TAKE A LOOK ACROSS THE POND

At last week's National Retail Federation convention in New York, the big buzz on the exhibit floor was not generated by one of the many technology vendors who come to this and other retail shows every year. Instead, it came from an unusual source -- a retailer.That retailer is Metro Group, the largest retailer in Germany and the fifth largest retailer in the world. Metro Group, through its partnership

At last week's National Retail Federation convention in New York, the big buzz on the exhibit floor was not generated by one of the many technology vendors who come to this and other retail shows every year. Instead, it came from an unusual source -- a retailer.

That retailer is Metro Group, the largest retailer in Germany and the fifth largest retailer in the world. Metro Group, through its partnership with some 40 other companies in what is called the Future Store Initiative, demons